


The Joke

by GreyWithAnE



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Ash Lynx Dies, Canon Compliant, Character Death, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, I didn’t think this through, I'm Sorry, I’m tired, One Shot, Post-Canon Banana Fish, Pre-Side Story: Garden of Light, all aboard the emotional distress express!, no beta we die like Ash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29730240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyWithAnE/pseuds/GreyWithAnE
Summary: “Ash is dead.”Eiji can’t help but laugh.“That is a very funny joke.”
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Okumura Eiji, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Ibe Shunichi & Okumura Eiji
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30





	The Joke

There’s an unexpected knock at his door one Sunday afternoon. 

“Hello, Ibe-san!” Eiji greets, smiling.

The man on the other side of the door wrings his hands together, does his best to smile, “hey Ei-chan.”

“Well don’t stay out there!” Eiji waves, “come in!”

Ibe follows Eiji through the apartment, where he stands by the kitchen island, Eiji pulls out some carrots, washing them.

“I was just making myself some dinner, but if you were wanting to stay I can just make another serving!” he smiles, “how about it?”

“I—” he clears his throat, “Ei-chan…”

Eiji turns around, worried. 

“—Ibe-san?...” Eiji asks, “are you alright?”

“This—” he stops himself, looks at the floor, “this isn’t easy for me to tell you.”

Eiji tilts his head, concern etched into his forehead, “what is it?”

Ibe lefts out a heavy breath, looking Eiji in the eye.

“Ash is dead.” 

Eiji can’t help but laugh.

“That is a very funny joke.”

Ibe looks at him all pitifully, “it isn’t a joke.”

Eiji turns away, back to the food he was chopping up.

“I don’t know why you are lying to me then.”

“I’m not lying—”

“Well I know Ash,” he states, “and Ash wouldn’t die—”

“—he isn’t invincible—”

“—and he isn’t _dead_ either.” He snaps.

Ibe takes a step towards him, goes to take the kitchen knife from Eiji’s hand, “Eiji.”

The boy doesn’t move for a moment, 

“He’s been dead before,” he says, picking up a carrot and placing it on his cutting board, “he’ll come back.”

“Eiji—”

“—He told he’d come back—”

“—Eiji—”

“—It’s probably only so no one comes after him—”

“—Eiji—”

“—I called it before, I knew he wasn’t dead then— and I— I know he isn’t dead now—”

“Eiji!” Ibe yells.

The boy stops, eyes wide. 

“They _found_ his body.”

The silence that follows leaves a pit in Ibe’s stomach.

Eiji looks at him in desperation.

“They found his body before—”

“This isn’t like that Eiji—”

“How am I supposed to believe what some— some guy in a lab coat thinks?” His eyes are welling up uncontrollably, “I’ll fly down there—”

“Our visas are expired—”

“Then I’ll _swim_ if I have to.”

“You’re still hurt, Eiji—”

“I don’t care!” He yells. “Ash isn’t dead! And i’m going to— I’ll go to America and I’ll— I’ll find him!”

Ibe lightly grips Eiji’s shoulders, unfiltered pain in his eyes, “Max already _checked_ the body…”

“They—” Eiji falters,

Ibe just shakes his head, “He’s dead, Eiji…”

Eiji lets out a shaky breath. 

A hollow laugh leaves his throat.

“He was supposed to come to Japan with me…”

Ibe steps closer,

“I know.”

“He told me he was going to— he promised… He— he was supposed to stay with me…”

Ibe wraps his arms around Eiji’s shoulders,

“I know.”

“I was going to tell him— I was— I—”

Eiji doesn’t say anything else, just grips onto Ibe like a lifeline.

Ibe’s throat feels thick, “I’m sorry.”

It isn’t enough. 

It’ll never be enough. 

_My soul is always with you._ He had written on the note covered in Ash’s blood and tears. 

Half of Eiji is gone. 

And no amount of time is going to bring him back. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry!
> 
> I had always had this horrible idea in my head. That Eiji would have waited years for Ash to show up, believing that he was somehow still alive. 
> 
> I dunno! Please forgive me for this!


End file.
